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Danilo Gallinari (#8) and Wilson Chandler (#21)
as well. Gallinari missed the entire 2014-15
season with a damaged tendon and later a
torn ACL in his knee. If Gallinari can return as
the same player he was before, he’ll give the
Nuggets a third excellent three-point shooter
and a player who is excellent at drawing fouls
as well. While Gallinari isn’t quite a superstar,
he’s a very good player and should give the
Nuggets a significant boost this season.
Power forward Faried is a particularly
interesting player. Faried is not particularly
tall and can’t shoot from long distance, but
he makes up for these deficiencies with
tremendous hustle. Faried scores transition
baskets frequently and is also an excellent
rebounder. Often, Faried will catch an
opponent off guard and score a quick basket
after simply running the floor faster than his
counterpart. While today’s NBA is moving
towards having a stretch four who can shoot
three pointers, Faried provides value by simply
outworking his opponents.
The center position figures to be the
biggest hole in Denver’s roster from an
offensive standpoint. After the Clippers’
DeAndre Jordan, McGee might be the biggest
threat in the League at finishing alley-oops, but
doesn’t shoot and lacks a plus low-post game.
Mozgov is similarly limited; he’s decent at
drawing fouls but has difficulty creating shots
for either himself
or his teammates.
Overall, the Nuggets
have some genuine
scoring threats and
should be able to
run up the score on
opponents once in a
while. However, they
lack the superstar
necessary to be
one of the league’s
great offenses.
Outlook
There are reasons
to think the Nuggets
will be a significantly
improved team this
s e a s o n . G e t t i n g
Gallinari healthy and
back in the lineup
should add a few wins
to Denver’s total, as
he is an upgrade over
Bart Young/NBAE/Getty Images
a decent player in Wilson Chandler. The team
also will have another year of experience
under head coach Brian Shaw and could
become a more cohesive unit this season.
At the same time, Denver’s upside as a
team is limited until they find a player who
can be a franchise cornerstone. As good as
Gallinari is, he’s a better fit as the sidekick to
a franchise player than the franchise player
himself. With Gallinari, Lawson, Afflalo, and
Faried, the Nuggets will be a competitive team,
but until they find the superstar they can build
around, Denver should expect about 40 to 45
wins, which will probably put them in the draft
lottery in the competitive Western Conference.
SPOTLIGHT:
Danilo Gallinari
When Gallinari had surgery to repair a damaged tendon in his knee, doctors were left with a decision: they could either also repair Gallinari’s
sprained ACL, leaving Gallinari out for an extended length of time, or let it heal on its own and hope to get Gallinari back by December.
As it turns out, the doctors chose to let Gallinari’s ACL heal on its own, and the decision backfired when further damage prompted a
second knee surgery in January. That’s the bad news—the good news is that Gallinari has now made a full recovery and should be ready to
play when the season begins.
On offense, Gallinari gives the Nuggets a three-dimensional player: somebody who can shoot, dribble-drive, and pass. On defense, Gallinari’s
height and lanky 6-10 frame can cause problems for opponents as well. Gallinari is the closest thing Denver has to a two-way player, and the
Nuggets will need every bit of Gallinari’s abilities if they want to contend this year.
Two questions linger: first, will Gallinari be the same player after two knee surgeries? Second, if Gallinari is the same player, will it make
the Nuggets a contender in the Western Conference? In an era where NBA teams are either contending or tanking, Denver is somewhere in
the middle. If Gallinari’s return doesn’t put Denver on the path back to contention, the Nuggets will have some very hard decisions to make
about the team’s future.